Sint-Genesius-Rode (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Sint-Genesius-Rode may buy Villa Dirickz for € 2.3 M. Mayor Rolin supports it, but the opposition party, Accent 1640, criticizes the cost, urging focus on urgent town needs instead.
The villa Dirickz has been owned by different people over the years. Now, it’s up for sale. The mayor of Sint-Genesius-Rode, a municipality in the Province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, Pierre Rolin, says they have a chance to buy Villa Dirickz, but they need to decide by April 19th, 2025.
It was announced by the town council that they would discuss it in their meeting, but there’s one thing, they don’t know what they will do with the villa in case they acquire it. It’s the same with a previous experience where something was acquired by the town, but no one had any idea on how to utilize it.
Some people think buying the villa would be good because it would save this important building, and maybe they could use it for something like a museum or community center. But others are worried because they don’t know what the plan is. People who want to buy the villa say it’s a special chance to protect this beautiful building for the future.
Will Sint-Genesius-Rode purchase Villa Dirickz for €2.3M?
The mayor of Sint-Genesius-Rode, Pierre Rolin, thinks buying Villa Dirickz would be a great thing for the town. He calls it the most important historic building in the town and says it would be amazing for people to finally see the inside. The villa is on a big piece of land, and the town could use it to help with water problems.
The mayor also mentioned that there have been some problems with the building in the past, and they would fix those if they bought it. The villa used to be for sale for a lot of money, but now the price is lower.
The town would need to spend money to fix it up, but they might get help from the government. The mayor also said that maybe private companies could help pay for it, so the town wouldn’t have to pay for everything.
The mayor says,
“The building was once for sale for 7.5 million euros. The current owner is asking 2.3 million euros, so that is reasonable.”
Jan Rombaut, from the opposition party, says that the town has other important things to spend money on right now. He says the town needs to fix up its buildings, help the local cultural center, and support groups that are struggling financially.
He also mentioned that someone else was already planning to buy the villa, which made it even more complicated. Rombaut thinks buying the villa would cost each person in the town about $120, and he wonders if that’s a good use of money.
Villa Dirickz is located along Maria Joanalaan in Sint-Genesius-Rode. It was built in the 1920s for Henri Dirickx, who ran a steel factory. The famous architect Marcel Leborgne designed it, and it has straight lines, a lot of concrete, and big glass windows.
